From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Witches of Eastwick

First trade edition cover
Author	John Updike
Country	United States
Language	English
Publisher	Knopf
Publication date	April 12, 1984
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages	320 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0394537602

The Witches of Eastwick is a 1984 novel by John Updike.

The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the late 1960s, follows the witches Alexandra Spofford, Jane Smart, and Sukie Rougemont, who acquired their powers after leaving or being left by their husbands. Their coven is upset by the arrival of a devil-like character, Darryl Van Horne. The mysterious Darryl seduces each of the women, encouraging them to play with their powers and creating a scandal in the town. The three women share Darryl in relative peace until he unexpectedly marries their young, innocent friend, Jenny, who they resolve to have revenge on by giving her cancer through their magic. The witches doubt their judgement after Jenny's death when Darryl flees town with her younger brother, Chris, apparently his lover. In his wake he leaves their relationships strained and their sense of self in doubt. Eventually they each summon their ideal men and leave town.

Some have expressed concern that the book may be misogynistic, as it seems to reinforce the patriarchal conception of women as witches, and of women requiring a man for personal growth; others believe that the book may be more of a satire of such ideas.^[1]

At the same time, there were those who praised the novel as a departure from John Updike's previous novels. This is the first novel where he truly develops the female characters.

Celebrity Big Brother 2007 contestants Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara were nicknamed the "Bitches of Eastwick" and "Witches of Elstree" by the British media due to their apparent racist bullying of fellow housemate and Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.

• In 1987, the novel was adapted into a film starring Jack Nicholson as Darryl, Cher as Alexandra, Susan Sarandon as Jane and Michelle Pfeiffer as Sukie.
• In 2000, the novel was adapted into a stage musical by John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe.
• In 2002, a TV series pilot was filmed based on the world created in the book, called simply Eastwick. It starred Marcia Cross as Jane, Kelly Rutherford as Alexandra, and Lori Loughlin as Sukie. It was not picked up as a series so only the pilot episode exists, and is officially unavailable but does show up from time to time in the collector market.
• in 2007, the stage musical had a sold out American debut at Signature Theater in Arlington, VA.{fact}